1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to the structure of socks and the manufacturing techniques used to manufacture socks. More particularly, the present invention relates to socks that overlap the shoe about the ankle, thereby preventing debris from entering the shoe between the shoe and the sock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Socks are made in many different styles using many different manufacturing techniques. However, the purpose of the sock remains the same. A sock serves as a protective barrier between the skin of the foot and the material of the shoe. The sock cushions the foot within the structure of a shoe and absorbs sweat produced by the foot. As such, the use of socks greatly increases the comfort associated with wearing shoes and prevents shoes from becoming contaminated and damaged by the excretions produced by the skin of the foot.
Shoes also come in many different styles. Different shoes extend to different points on the foot or leg. Some shoes terminate below the ankle. Some shoes terminate at the ankle. Still other shoes, typically boots, terminate at some point above the ankle on the leg. Socks are typically selected to be higher than the shoe that is being worn. As a result, the sock prevents any portion of the shoe from contacting the leg, thereby increasing comfort.
Socks are typically made of knitted material that provides the structure of the sock with some degree of elasticity. As such, when a sock is worn, the sock conforms to the contour of the foot and leg. However, shoes are typically not made from elastic materials. As such, shoes are fitted to the foot and gaps inevitably exist between the shoe and the socked foot at various locations. One point where the gap between the shoe and the socked foot is most prevalent is at the opening of the shoe where the socked foot enters the shoe. This opening typically is located near the ankle.
When a person walks, the gap between the shoe and the socked foot varies as the foot and shoe move in relation to each other. When a person is walking through loose material, such as dirt, snow, sawdust, mud, tall grass and the like, it is not uncommon for such loose material to enter the gap that exists between the shoe and the socked foot. Once such debris enters the gap, the debris passes down into the shoe and becomes wedged between the shoe and the socked foot. If the debris is solid, such as gravel, wood chips, dirt or the like, the presence of the debris makes the wearing of the shoe uncomfortable. The shoe must then be removed and the debris removed. If the debris that enters the shoe is water, snow or the like, then the sock becomes wet and uncomfortable. The shoe and sock must then be removed and the sock must be dried or replaced.
In the prior art there have been many different types of garments that have been designed to help prevent foreign material from entering the gap that exists between a shoe and a socked foot. One type of garment that exists is a sock having a flare just above the point where the sock extends above the shoe. The flare is sewn onto the sock and can be folded down over the open top of the shoe, thereby covering the gap that exists between the shoe and the socked foot. Such prior art socks are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,616, to Pisano, entitled, Protective Sleeve For Preventing Debris Intrusion.
Prior art socks that have protective flares have traditionally been made by taking an ordinary sock and sewing a flare onto the sock at the appropriate point. Since the sock is made from two different sections of material, the sock cannot be manufactured in an automated process on a single sock knitting machine. Rather, such prior art socks have to be manufactured in a multiple step procedure that involves the alignment of the flare onto the base sock and the sewing of the flare onto the base sock. Accordingly, the cost and labor involved in creating flared protective socks make the socks significantly more expensive than traditional socks of the same material.
A need therefore exists for an improved protective sock that can be manufactured at low cost in an automated fashion by a single knitting machine. This need is met by the present invention as it is described and claimed below.
The present invention is a sock and its associated method of manufacture. The sock is a knit sock that is knit as a continuous tubular structure from a closed toe end to an open top end. At some point between the closed toe end of the sock and the open top end of the sock, at least a four inch section of the tubular structure is sewn from a combination of yarns that contain elastic. After the tubular structure is knit, the top end and the bottom end of this central elastic section are folded together and joined along a common seam. As the top end and the bottom end of the central elastic section are joined together, the material of the central elastic section loops over and radially extends as a flare from the tubular structure of the sock. The flare is made from the combination of yarns that include elastic. As such, the flare has elastic properties that enable it to be stretched over the open top of a shoe. Once pulled over the shoe, the flare of the sock prevents foreign material from getting into the shoe in between the sock and the shoe.